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Is the Sky Falling or Is It Just A Meteor Shower?
“Do you know what the opposite of optimism is?” Julie asked, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. “Pessimism?” I answered. She shook her head vigorously, like a dog drying itself off. “Nope, it’s...
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You Can Lead A Horse to Water….
Expectations. Anyone can set them. That’s the easy part, but when it comes to holding others accountable for them, that’s a different story. And here’s why…. If your expectations don’t align with...
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The HARD Reality of Culture
Culture. Just the name of it usually invokes a positive, feel-good emotion in many of us. Not that it’s always positive, mind you, but it just holds so much promise! It’s hard not to “like”...
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Staying Great at the Unit-Leader Level
Whenever I hear the term “best practices,” I shudder a little. Whether in regards to leadership, culture, parenting, or anything really, it’s the notion that there are set ways to operate or maximize...
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The “Best” Negative Role Model
“Who’s your positive role model?” It’s a question I ask in every individual assessment I conduct. And you’d be surprised with the uniformity of answers. Almost everyone names a relative, most usually...
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Spa Day, Anyone?
Multitasking. Ah, the practice (some may say, bad habit) of doing multiple activities at once, usually resulting in sufficient, but not fantastic, outcomes. I dare say we all do it, some better than...
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Stop Trying to be Great!
Last year, National Public Radio (NPR) published an article in which a college commencement speaker delivered an address based on three main ideas: Your time in the basement was well spent – Much of...
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Yahoo?? More like Yikes!!
Marissa Mayer’s recent pronouncement to bring Yahoo employees back to “the office” says more about Yahoo’s leadership and cultural dysfunction than anything else. Here’s a former high-tech innovation...
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Who Raised the Bar for You?
“Who raised the bar for you?” I asked. Robert squirmed a little in his seat. I couldn’t tell if his expression was a scowl or a pout. So, I waited. He sighed, and his answer began in fits and starts....
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Oh, the Platitudes of Leadership (Marketing)…
Great leaders need vision! Emotional intelligence is the most important leadership trait! The best leaders are transformational! Good leaders inspire, motivate, empower, and engage! Yes, Yes, Yes,...
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Trust….It’s More Than Just Saying You Do
We all know trust is the key to relationship, inside the workplace and outside. Duh!! So, why is it that we’re so afraid to actually trust others? What is it that holds us back? Is it really that...
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Be Worthy Of Your Heritage…
Deerfield Academy was for me transformative. A new start, out from under my older brother’s shadow and away from my midwestern roots. For the first time, it was in the shadow of Mount Pocumtuck that...
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It’s Your Life: Are You A Reactionist or A Proactivist?
In the course of my week, I speak with many individual, most of whom are struggling with some aspect of their career. The project at work is stalling. Their company has cut development dollars and...
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It’s Your Path….
I’d seen that look before, that quizzical cant of the head, the furrowed brow, and yes, the poor attempt to hide a frown of disapproval. “That doesn’t sound like a good plan at all,” she stated. I had...
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Leading & The Importance of Staying Relative
Rule #1 for stability in skydiving is understanding the concept of relative wind. To explain, relative wind is the direction of the atmosphere relative to the skydiver. When first exiting the...
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Enter MOOCs – Leveraging Innovation in Learning
MOOCs. For anyone involved in learning and development, whether in the academic or corporate realm, the explosive growth of these Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) should be attracting much...
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Diversity of Thought for Both Personal AND Professional Groups
“What is the most common trait amongst your friends?” Sondra burst out laughing. “You mean in a business sense?” she asked. I shook my head. “No, just in general. How would you collectively describe...
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“Oh, Captain, my Captain…”
Several weeks ago, my daughter pranced into the house, excitement etched on her face. The sweat matted her hair to her forehead. But it didn’t matter. She’d done it…she’d been named captain of the...
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Northwoods Leadership: Expanding Horizons
The call of the loon….no, not the crazy guy who sits three cubicles down and bellows with laughter each time he receives a knock-knock joke in his email. Nope, this was the feathered variety, and the...
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Dance of the Great Apes: Combating Showboating
I felt like Jane Goodall watching the wild chimpanzees at play. Between bouts of running, jumping, and kicking, there were raucous outbursts of joyous sounds interspersed with the agitated shrieks of...
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